New Britain Connecticut Personal Injury Law Blog

If you have been injured in a crash with an intoxicated motorist in Connecticut, you may seek compensation for your associated medical bills, lost income, and physical pain and suffering, from the at-fault driver or his or her insurance company. However, you may also be entitled to damages from the establishment that served the other motorist. At Weber & Carrier LLP, we understand how the state’s Dram Shop Act helps hold bars and restaurants responsible for over-serving that results in serious or fatal auto accidents.

Under state law, the liquor seller who served the at-fault driver prior to the crash may be held responsible for injuries suffered due to drunk driving collisions. This is only the case, however, if the driver was already intoxicated when he or she was served. For example, a man goes to a bar and is drinking with friends. While there, he becomes increasingly intoxicated and is noticeably slurring his words and stumbling, but the bartender continues to serve him drinks. Upon leaving the bar, the man gets behind the wheel and causes a wreck that results in you suffering serious injuries. You may be entitled to compensation from the establishment where the man was drinking.

If you are responsible for overseeing a fleet of company-managed vehicles at your business in Connecticut, you may be looking for ways to optimize the process of fleet management while maximizing its effectiveness in preventing accidents. At Weber & Carrier, LLP, Attorneys and Counselors at Law, we understand the challenges of maintaining a fleet.

With your company's initiative to implement fleet management protocols that prioritize safety, efficiency and responsibility, your drivers may experience fewer risks of getting involved in a serious accident that may have been preventable with the application of appropriate tools and resources. According to Verizon Connect, one way that you can achieve these goals is to develop customized routes for each truck based on its size, the materials it is carrying and the size of its load. Another way you can accomplish this objective is by implementing a real-time notifications system that tracks each truck's movement to alert for dangers such as doors left open.

Donning a helmet could very well be the difference between life and death if you ride a motorcycle on a Connecticut road. That is why the United States Department of Transportation (DOT) has set safety standards for motorcycle helmets that are sold within the U.S. A helmet that does not meet these standards will likely provide inferior protection and increase the risk of injury or death. The DOT warns consumers to be on the lookout for unsafe helmets.

One way to determine if a helmet may not adequately protect you is to pay attention to how heavy the helmet feels. Helmets that met the DOT standard are typically three pounds in weight. An unsafe helmet is more likely to feel lighter in your hand. Unless the design of the helmet makes it heavier, an unsafe helmet will probably weigh only a single pound, perhaps even less. Also, helmets that will not adequately protect you tend to be smaller in diameter.

Whether you are driving on Connecticut highways or winding rural roads, big trucks can cause frustration and concern. From unsafe lane changes and high speeds to crossing the double yellow line, tractor-trailer trucks are often viewed as a safety hazard. At Weber & Carrier, LLP, we often work with clients injured in truck accidents as a result of negligence.

According to AAA NewsRoom, as many as 63,000 accidents each year can be prevented if trucking companies equip their vehicles with advanced safety technologies. More than half of U.S. adults feel vulnerable when passing big trucks, due to their size, large blind spots and penchant for unexpectedly swerving out of their lane.

If people have been the victims of a dog attack in Connecticut, their injuries may be prone to severe scarring depending on the severity of the attack. Even in situations where the animal bite was relatively minor, improper care could increase a person's chance of experiencing the discomfort and self-consciousness that comes with having scars.

Even once the pain has begun to subside, people should be careful about the way they choose to care for their wounds in order to provide their body with the adequate environment to heal as normally as possible. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, the dressings an injured person applies to their wound should be changed frequently to keep the bandages clean and dry. The use of some type of petroleum jelly can keep the wound site moist and help to prevent cracking and tearing of the skin as it heals.

If you are like many other drivers in the United States, you have used your cellphone while behind the wheel. This deadly practice, however, leads to catastrophic car accidents, injuries and deaths. In 2016, 3,450 people were killed, and another 391,000 people were injured in distracted driving car accidents in the U.S., according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. As a result, many states, including Connecticut, implemented legislation banning the use of hand-hand cellphones while driving. In order to stay in compliance with the law, you may have used a hands-free cellphone while driving. However, studies show that these devices may not be a safe alternative to their hand-held counterparts.

AAA published a study looking at hands-free cellphones and the amount of cognitive distraction they produce. Researchers asked participants to perform the following distractive tasks:

If you’ve recently experienced a dog bite injury in Connecticut, you’re probably still reeling from the incident. Along with the many physical effects, many victims also suffer from serious emotional consequences as a result. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is just one possible outcome that can affect a person’s life for many years to come.

According to the Mayo Clinic, PTSD occurs after a terrifying event. It’s characterized by recurring memories of what happened, problems sleeping or concentrating, feelings of isolation, nightmares, guilt, irritability, anger, and many other negative effects. Additionally, a person who witnessed such an event can also fall victim to these symptoms. For many people, dog bites and attacks are considered extremely traumatizing.

School zones in Connecticut can be hazardous when motorists aren’t careful. That’s why it’s crucial that you take the proper steps to preserve the safety of kids within school zones, which just might prevent tragedies from occurring. Edmunds offers the following tips in this case.

Now that winter is finally here, many motorists in Connecticut will find themselves traveling for the holiday season. In this case, taking the proper precautions is crucial to prevent both you and other drivers from being involved in an accident. Accordingly, AAA offers the following advice.

When driving in the snow and ice, be sure to take your time. This includes both acceleration and deceleration, which can cause you to lose traction if you do so too quickly. Don’t be afraid to drive under the speed limit when weather is poor. It can be hard to stop on slick roads, which greatly increases the likelihood of skidding.

Motorists often find themselves driving alongside commercial trucks on Connecticut highways. In this case, ensuring that all who share the road remain safe and secure is a responsibility of everyone, including truckers. While you can't always prevent accidents from occurring, the actions motorists take can greatly reduce the risk of a crash. Accordingly, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration explains what the drivers of big rigs must do to prevent collisions from occurring.

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